1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a novel process for the preparation of malononitrile or of derivatives of malononitrile of the general formula: ##STR1## in which R.sup.1 is hydrogen, an alkyl group or a cycloalkyl group.
2. Background of the Invention
Malononitrile is a starting material and intermediate of central importance for the preparation of an extremely wide range of, for example, pharmaceutical or agrochemical active ingredients (Ullmann's Encyklopadie der technischen Chemie, 4.sup.th revised and expanded edition, Verlag Chemie Weinheim, Volume 16, pp. 419-423).
Although a large number of processes are known for the preparation of malononitrile, the only one to have achieved significance on an industrial scale is the high-temperature reaction of acetonitrile with cyanogen chloride at temperatures above 700.degree. C.